The present invention relates to vehicle conversions and more particularly relates to a method for converting an automobile or vehicle body having independent rear suspension to a funeral coach vehicle having a loadbed for carrying caskets that is positioned generally between the rear strut support of the independent rear suspension.
In the automotive industry, it is common to convert a typical four-door passenger vehicle having front and rear seats and a rear trunk area into a number of other specialty vehicles such as a funeral coach, for example. In the conversion of a passenger vehicle to a funeral coach, the rear trunk area of the vehicle must be removed and an elongated structural loadbed is provided for carrying caskets. The exterior of the vehicle is covered with the "coach" portion of the vehicle by knocking out the rear window of the vehicle and extending the roof line rearwardly.
Currently, many automobiles are manufactured with an independent wheel suspension that includes an elongated strut as part of the suspension and a shock or strut tower which forms a portion of the automobile vehicle body. The shock tower or strut tower as it is called extends into the trunk of a typical passenger automobile occupying some of the cargo space within the trunk, but otherwise not interfering with the operation of the trunk. Items can be placed in the trunk of a passenger vehicle on the sides of and around the shock tower with little or no problem. Since the automobile strut typically inclines toward the center of the vehicle, the shock tower not only extends upwardly into the trunk but laterally into the trunk as well.
While the use of independent wheel suspension struts and shock towers does not interfere with the operation of a typical four-door passenger automobile, it presents problems in converting such a passenger vehicle to such a specialty vehicle as a funeral coach. The shock towers extending inwardly and upwardly from the wheel well create a space problem when the rear area of the vehicle is to function as a load carrying surface for caskets. The shock towers can restrict the width of a casket that can be placed in the rear of the coach, and make loading and unloading of caskets difficult.
Several patents relate generally to vehicle conversions and more particularly shock tower constructions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,794 entitled "Support Column For Automobile Wheel Suspension Assembly" issued to H. Harasaki describes a support column provided in an automobile body structure for accommodating a rear wheel suspension assembly that comprises a column support structure rigidly mounted on an apron forming a part of the body structure and defining a wheel housing. The column structure is also rigidly connected to an inner panel of the body structure and projects generally upwardly from the apron for accommodating the wheel suspension assembly having one end connected to and supported by a supported plate. The support plate has a bracket portion to which one end of the suspension assembly is connected and a brace portion extending downwardly towards the inner panel. The suspension assembly is inclined inwardly toward the central portion of the vehicle body.
A "Vehicle Wheel Alignment Adjustment Device" is described in the Wilkerson U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,631. The adjustment assembly allows independent or simultaneous changing of caster and camber angles of the front wheels of a vehicle having a single axis suspension device such as the MacPherson Strut, between the lower control arm and the upper control bracket that uses circular plates that may be fixed to the upper control bracket in any of four 90 degree angularly related positions with an eccentric aperture for laterally supporting the strut in numerous angular positions to vary the wheel spindle's caster and camber angles independently or simultaneously as desired.
The Wessells U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,978 entitled "Combined A-Post, Cowl and Wheelhouse Structure" discloses a motor vehicle structure which provides for a more shallow A-post structure and a reinforced inner wheel housing panel for joining the A-post and transferring loading and shock stresses from the wheels or front end to the A-post. The dash panel, cowl, inner wheel housing and A-post structure form an open box structure across the front of the passenger compartment.
The Fledler et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,259 entitled "Suspension Strut Assemblies For Motor Vehicles Suspensions" shows a typical prior art suspension strut assembly for a motor vehicle suspension including a telescopic damper which is connected at its ends to a wheel carrier and to part of the vehicle superstructure. and a wheel suspension spring which surrounds the damper and is seated at one end on a casing portion of the damper and at the other end effectively on a piston rod of the damper.
A British Pat. No. 777,551 entitled "Floor Structure For Chassisless Motor Vehicle" provides a structure afording an increased stiffness against longitudinal as well as transverse stresses for a vehicle adjacent a front wheel suspension system having a separately stamped body and including lateral and top walls.
While several of these patents relate generally to suspension assemblies and independent wheel suspensions as well as suspension strut assemblies, none relate to a conversion which method includes increasing the angle of inclination of the strut assembly to solve the problem of converting an independent wheel suspension vehicle using a suspension strut assembly to a specialty vehicle, namely a funeral coach so that the load carrying portion of the vehicle is enlarged to accommodate wider loads within the vehicle's coach compartment, yet not interfering with normal operation of the vehicle.
In that regard, the present invention solves the prior art problem of converting a passenger vehicle with an independent rear suspension to a funeral coach vehicle without unduly restricting the lateral space available for carrying caskets at the rear or coach portion of the vehicle.
The method of the present invention converts a passenger vehicle with an independent rear suspension that includes a pair of rear struts and a rear strut support tower to a funeral coach vehicle having a loadbed for carrying caskets that is positioned generally between the rear strut support towers. In the method of the present invention, the vehicle rear strut towers are removed so that the position of each strut upper end can be changed. The angle of inclination of each rear strut is increased by moving the upper end portion of each strut away from the central portion of the vehicle thereby increasing the spacing between the upper ends of each support. The upper ends of each respective strut are then supported with a pair of replacement towers having a lateral spacing that is larger than the lateral spacing of the original passenger vehicle strut towers.
The distance between each rear wheel and its strut is increased using a spacer between the wheel and the strut. In the preferred method, the innermost wall of each replacement strut tower is flattened so that flattened vertical surfaces, generally parallel to each other, are provided on each respective rear strut tower. The strut angle of inclination is preferably increased by an angular amount of five degrees (5.degree.). With the present invention, the lower end portion of the struts are preferably maintained in the same lateral position as the strut angles are increased as part of the conversion methods.